Swordsman

From one tree to another, I constantly sneak around to get close to the Cyclops but avoid getting sensed at the same time. It's faster than me so if I miss my opportunity, it'll be hard stopping him from having those two Frost teens for lunch.

"Just don't fail me, okay?" I say so to the inanimate object that is the branch in my hand.

And, as that happens, I finally stop sneaking around and start heading directly towards the path that the three people of interest are in. I come out on it right in front of the Cyclops. It finds itself surprised to see me and use that as the opportunity to penetrate its eye with the branch. The eye is higher than I can reach normally so I jump very close to him and try to put it in. If I fail, the Cyclops would easily capture me and crush me with its hard muscles. Fortunately, I don't fail. I am able to open its eye up like a breaking an egg and it scream in agony as a result. I use that opportunity to touch it and start the process of Moral Dystopia.

That's it. With that, I will have strength equivalent to a Cyclops. This will obviously be a big improvement on my part and would definitely help me in 'causing some chaos' in Frost, as per my deal with Cartel Hopkins.

If only something this easy and helpful could actually happen without a problem.

"Die, you fiend!" –comes the very annoying voice of a guy with a sword as he appears out of nowhere and cuts off the Cyclops' head.

"…"

"Ha! You thought you could hurt those two innocent children? I guess you didn't know I was in the area, did you?" and that is followed by very annoying hahaha's by this guy who looks like he's a swordsman straight out of some MMORPG's pre-made avatar set.

"I guess I should also thank you, my dear friend. It was your courage and wit that provided me the chance to strike down this thing." He says, looking at me.

"…" Since I am barely holding myself back from punching this guy in his oh-so-generic face for robbing me of the chance to gain a whole lot of strength, I decide not to speak anything.

…

Wait!

I just realized. This guy looks human. He doesn't look like a Frost. I guess I am still not adjusted to not seeing humans to have not picked up on this as soon as I saw him but well, this guy is an alien to this planet just like me.

"Who … are you?" I ask, interrupting him from running to the two teens with a bright, heroic smile.

"Me? I am no one special, my friend."

Stop calling me 'friend'. It makes me sick.

"I am just a swordsman out in Frost with some business he has to take care of. It is fortunate that I stumbled across this scene."

No, that definitely is not 'fortunate', you half-assed NPC-personality character!

"Anyway, my friend, I should go and check up on those two!" He flashes a smile as he says, "They must be scared because of this whole thing."

They SHOULD be scared, damnit! I'd, inversely, not go to those two and ask about their little witchcraft session as I am too outraged because of the opportunity I just lost because of that idiot.

Wait! Did I lose it? I definitely did. But, does that mean it is over? Does that mean I have no opportunities right in front of my eyes?

This guy was good enough with the sword to be able to dispatch the Cyclops' head very cleanly. I will get the opportunity to steal strength many a times but, how many times would I be getting the chance to become good at swordplay?

But no, think about this. This guy isn't particularly evil. He isn't a monster and he isn't trying to harm anyone. He is, if I were to believe his words, here for some business. By stealing his abilities, I would put him in danger and who knows what kind of force might consequently become my enemy. Should I, then, go through with this? I honestly don't know.

"Hey kids, you okay?"

"Y-yeah!"

"There's no need to worry now. I am here to take you back to your home."

He's pretty annoying but … can I really be okay with stealing this guy's abilities?

"B-but, we have something to do before we go home."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"It's, well, we … were trying … a dark magic spell." As the girl says so, I temporarily push the dilemma I'm facing in the back on my mind and turn to them as I say,

"And what exactly does the spell you were trying to perform do?"

While scared at first, the two realize that they have an obligation to answer and so, they do.

"It creates a strength increasing potion."

"…"

"Anyone who drinks it will become a bit stronger, about 2% stronger."

That really is only 'a bit stronger'.

"I see. I see." That annoying idiot starts again. "Don't you two know that dark magic is bad?"

"W-we know b-but it's not like we have books on anything else."

So, they have books on dark magic, do they? Now that's interesting. I am afraid though that this idiot would come in the way if I ask them to show those books to me.

"You should destroy all those books, children." He says with a grave look. "They are bad, really bad."

Yeah, he would definitely come in the way. Or maybe, I can play this to my advantage.

"Indeed." I say. "Dark magic books are nothing that you should be reading. You should give them to me."

The idiot swordsman looks at me with a confused and wary expression. I continue, pretending I haven't noticed.

"I am wanderer of the universe collecting any and everything in the worlds I visit that might be dangerous or evil. I do so to protect the people possessing them from their influence. Hence, you should hand over those books to me."

As I say that, the swordsman regains his bright smile as he falls into my trap and tells those two, "In that case, you should do as this man says."

Well, this way, even if it's not a Cyclops' strength or a swordsman's skills, I'll at least be able to get some knowledge about dark magic. And as many smart people believe, no knowledge can ever be worthless.

*****